Houston Cougars 2024 Season Preview

The Houston Cougars are poised for an eventful 2024 football season as they embark on their second season in a transition to a new-look Big 12 Conference. Houston looks to build off its past AAC success as they're coming off a tough 4-8 record in their inaugurial year in the Big 12.

Transfer quarterback Donovan Smith from Texas Tech is expected to be one of college football's most enticing signal callers this upcoming season. Smith threw for 2,801 passing yards and 22 touchdowns, and added 428 yards on the ground along with 6 rushing TDs in his first season at UH. The Cougars were one of the most proflific offenses in 2023, averaging 360 yards per game.

Houston's team will be seeing a lot of turnover for this upcoming year. Both of Houston's top receivers from a year ago hit the transfer portal, while four of Houston's five starters on the offensive line have graduated, including NFL draft pick, Patrick Paul. On the defensive side of the ball, head coach Willie Fritz is shaking it up as he hired a new defensive coordinator in Shiel Wood from Troy University. Only two starters are slated to come from a 2023 group that struggled quite a bit.

A move to the Big 12 brought about many challenges for the Cougars in 2023, including a more difficult schedule. Houston will face the likes of Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, Kansas, and Utah, among other stiff competition. Head Coach Willie Fritz will have his work cut out for himself as he tries right the ship in year two and get Houston in their fourth bowl game in the last five seasons.

Houston Cougars Point Spreads

The point spread bet is arguably the most popular traditional fixed wager. A point spread wager is a bet based on the margin of victory.

Let’s take a look at what a Cougars spread might look like and what it all means:

• Houston +9.5 (-110)
• Kansas State -9.5 ( -110)

The Cougars lost this matchup 41-0, last season, which means they lost this spread in a decisive fashion. If the Cougars were to cover this spread, they’d need a loss of nine (9) points or less or a win outright.

Houston Cougars Over/Unders

Another common pre-game fixed wager is the over/under bet.

Over/under bets, also known as totals, are wagers that deal with the combined points scored by both teams in a respective game.

Oddsmakers set the total at how many total points they think will be scored combined by both teams. So, let’s revisit the example above and say the over/under was set at 46.5.

If you took the under a 41-0 final would mean you have a winner because the total amount of points scored (41) was less than 46.5. If the total points scored combined at 47 or more, the over would have be the winning side.

Houston Cougars Moneylines

While point spread and total bets deal with point differentials and combined points, moneyline wagers are more straightforward. When you place a moneyline bet, you are simply picking who you think will win the game.

Houston defeating Cincinnati as a -300 favorite is fine, but a $30 bet pays out just $10. If you’re able to catch the Cougars as a +300 underdog, a $10 bet would win you $30. These bets are the easiest to understand when you think of them in $10 or $100 units.

Houston Cougars Futures

Instead of wagering on in-game bets like the moneyline or point spread, you can turn your focus towards futures. Futures are wagers that settle at a later time, usually at the end of the season. Examples of futures bets are picking a conference winner, over/unders on team wins, as well as picking a Heisman Trophy winner.The books are expecting another rebuilding year of sorts for Houston as their consensus odds of +11000 are the 15th highest among 16 teams in the Big 12. If you want to bet on something less risky, you can turn your attention towards their win total of 3.5.